A prominent San Clemente house with dramatic angles and sweeping city and ocean views from every room – even the master bathtub – has hit the market at $1.67 million.

Renowned architect Wallace Cunningham of San Diego designed the modern, 2,674-square-foot residence. Architectural Digest and the Robb Report have both named Cunningham one of America's top designers.

The tri-level house, named Sea View, sits on a ridgeline behind its own private contemporary gate by Big Sur artist Gregory Hawthorne. Set on a quarter of an acre, the home, at 1706 Avenida Salvador, has three bedrooms, dark hardwood floors and Italian teak doors.

Views throughout the home take in a large stretch of the Pacific Ocean, including the famous Cottons Point shoreline and Catalina Island, as well as a ribbon of freeway in the distance, with cars zipping along like small toys.

The master suite boasts a cedar-lined, walk-in closet and the step-up, ocean-view tub.

Sea View was designed for notable surfing photographer Jeff Divine, said the listing agent, Doug Echelberger of Surterre Properties. Divine subsequently sold it to the current owners.

The architect managed to merge two conflicting ideas. “He (Divine) wanted to have a modern house with all glass, (but) he wanted to have it private,” Echelberger said. “The privacy issue is so hard in modern architecture because there's so much glass.”

In the book, “Materializing the Immaterial: The Architecture of Wallace Cunningham,” architectural critic Joseph Giovannini wrote of the house: “Cunningham edits out nearby buildings with shuttering walls that channel the views from the dining room, living room, bedroom and master shower into view corridors focused on a legendary section of the shore called Cottons Point.

“The house emerges as a lens through which occupants look at the surrounding landscape,” Giovannini wrote. “Cunningham frames views from the inside, and in their bracketed domain, the occupants enjoy the illusion that they alone possess and occupy the view.”

A striking La Jolla home that Cunningham designed, dubbed “The Razor,” has been featured in Calvin Klein and Visa commercials.

The house at 1706 Avenida Salvador in San Clemente sits behind a private gate and down a winding driveway. MARILYN KALFUS, STAFF
A view of the living room in the 2,674-square-foot house, designed by acclaimed architect Wallace Cunningham. PHOTO BY JERI KOEGEL
The chef's kitchen includes custom cabinetry and top-of-the-line brands, including a Gaggenau cooktop. PHOTO BY JERI KOEGEL
The step-up bathtub is part of a large shower with an ocean view. PHOTO BY JERI KOEGEL
The dining and living areas of the home have floor-to-ceiling windows.
The master bedroom has the same expansive view throughout the home.
A large deck adds to the home's indoor-outdoor ambiance.

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